


Once Upon A Whispered 'I love you'

by by_heart



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-06
Updated: 2012-01-28
Packaged: 2017-10-29 01:44:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 6,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/314489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/by_heart/pseuds/by_heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knew that girl. Even after several years, after plenty of growing up, after a thousand miles of distance, she still knew that girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fantasy and Flight

**Author's Note:**

> Fantasy and Flight

The exaggerated stop-and-turn of her double-take had to have been hilarious to see, and she was sure people saw it: she was standing on the corner of a busy sidewalk, waiting to cross the street.

Rachel couldn’t have asked for a better day off, one of the few days off she’d had since starting in her third off-Broadway show. The weather was beautiful, she was sporting a new skirt she’d been dying to wear for weeks, and she had gotten her errands done early in the day so she had plenty of time to read in the park and do a little shopping.

She had just left her sunny, grassy spot in the park to grab a late lunch.

When she glanced across the street just in time to see a flash of blonde hair, the twirl of an airy yellow sundress, and a shopping bag swing from a bent elbow. She knew that girl. Even after several years, after plenty of growing up, after a thousand miles of distance, she still knew that girl.

The light changed in front of her, but she didn’t cross the street with the rest of the mass of people who had been crowded around her. She could only stand, anchored in place by four years of wonder, and stare at the sidewalk across the street to her left.

Rachel watched as the blonde woman, laughing with a friend as she walked, continued on down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. Just before Rachel shook out of her reverie and made to cross the street once more, she thought that maybe she saw the familiar stranger glance in her direction and adjust her sunglasses. Like maybe she had noticed someone familiar for a moment too.


	2. Just Over There, Waiting For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just over there, waiting for me

Quinn tipped the bartender and made her way across the dimly lit room. Reaching one long, slender arm around the petite form in front of her, she placed a martini glass on the table.

Rachel jumped slightly at the surprise of an arm appearing so suddenly in front of her face.

When Quinn walked around the small table so that they were face to face, the shock that took over Rachel’s expression was more comical than she was expecting. Quinn let out a single laugh and shook her head. “Thought I’d find you in here,” she said by way of greeting.

“Q-Quinn. Oh m- – it really…what on earth are you doing here?” she finally managed.

“Buying a drink for an old friend?” She perched on the available stool. “Hoping said old friend might want to catch up a little?” She took a sip of her cosmo and gestured toward the glass she had placed in front of Rachel. “I assume your tastes have matured a little since junior year and pink wine coolers.”

Rachel blinked heavily a couple more times before her eyes finally tore away from Quinn and down to the glass. She picked it up and took a sip. “Wow, haven’t had one of those in a while,” she set the glass back down gingerly, “but that’s definitely up my alley.” She looked across the small table to her companion and stared at her for several long moments before she tried speaking again. “How’d you know I would be here?” she finally asked, skipping over her previous question of why Quinn was in New York City to begin with.

“Second night of a show,” she started. “Means you’ve already done all of the celebratory opening night things and tonight, you just get to wind down. This place is near enough the theatre to walk in heels, and it had the right feel for a tired-but-not-ready-to-sleep Rachel Berry.” She took another sip of her drink as she finished, Rachel resuming her wide-eyed staring.

“Did you join the CIA or something, because you’d be really good at it,” Rachel let out a chuckle.

Quinn smiled at her fondly. She knew that no matter how time changed things, some things would never change, like the way she could read Rachel Berry. Or the way Rachel Berry could ease back into reading her.


	3. Your name, like honey, tastes sweet on my lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your name, like honey, tastes sweet on my lips

“That’s brilliant. I could kiss you,” Rachel exclaimed as everyone else at the table laughed in agreement.

So Quinn did. It was joking and friendly, cupping Rachel’s cheek with one hand and quickly pulling her close enough to give her a sloppy kiss that just breeched the corner of her mouth.

When their dining companions laughed harder, a few giving out wolf whistles, Rachel raised her glass in toast. “Hey, to the most action I’ve seen in too long to admit.” She took a quick sip and laughed before digging back into her dinner out with the girls.

\--

Jessica hailed a cab outside of the restaurant and bid her friends goodnight. Cheyenne and Angela headed toward the train station headed south. Quinn and Rachel said goodnight as they headed toward a west-bound subway.

“I like your friends. They’re a lot of fun,” Quinn said, smiling and letting her wristlet clutch dangle at her side from her fingers.

“Yeah,” Rachel agreed. “They know how to have a good time. They helped show me around the best parts of the city when I first moved here.”

“Ah, the greatest allies.”

“Hey, everyone needs someone to show them around this big city; the finer points are the ones well-hidden beneath the tourist attractions.” Rachel pointed out.

“Well, then perhaps I need you to show me around, get me acquainted with the important things here.” Quinn gave her a questioning look as they strolled at a casual pace toward their subway. “You the one I’m looking for?”

The look Rachel gave her in return was what Quinn was hoping for. It was a bit questioning, probing. She was thinking something through. Quinn just hoped that it was the same thing she was thinking.

“Okay, I’ll be your tour guide. On one condition.”

Their pace had slowed to nearly a stop. “Okay…” she drew out.

“Kiss me again.” She shook her head before Quinn could say anything. “Not here, not now. By surprise.” She laughed a little when Quinn was still looking at her a little curiously, but listening carefully. “When you kissed me, at dinner, it was…different. I just…I’m a little curious.”

Quinn took a short step forward and placed her hand gently on Rachel’s face as she pressed their lips together, gently, but intensely. She didn’t try to take it deeper or push too far, only kept her lips pressed against soft ones belonging to the woman standing an inch from her. A few long moments into the kiss, she felt Rachel’s hands slide slowly to her hips. Quinn smiled against the kiss and pulled away just slightly, enough to look into deep brown eyes. “You’re not curious.” Quinn said lightly. “You know what you want. You just need to reach out and take it,” she grinned as she rested one hand over Rachel’s on her hip, giving it a gentle squeeze.

After a beat, they both blushed, smiled shyly, and stepped apart. With silent glances and shy laughter, they walked to the subway quietly, shoulders bumping once or twice as they weaved through the crowds. They stood at the top of a flight of stairs, the left tunnel leading toward Quinn’s train, the lower deck leading to Rachel’s.

Quinn thought about saying…anything, really. Something better than ‘thanks for kissing me, it’s been a while for me too’. Instead, she lightly wrapped her hand around Rachel’s upper arm and leaned forward. “Goodnight, Rachel.” She kissed her on the cheek and stepped back, dropping her hand.

“’Night, Quinn,” Rachel smiled and stepped down onto the first step. She turned away as she took the second and third. She looked back over her shoulder on the forth. Quinn was still there, smiling.


	4. My heart beats faster, and I think yours does too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My heart beats faster, and I think (I hope) yours does too

Rachel shook her head as Quinn’s hands shot into the air, a victorious pose. “One day, Rachel, you will learn, I don’t start a battle I can’t win.” She reached for the little writing pad and pencil between them and started counting.

The sun beamed down on the grassy field in the heart of the park. There were blankets and backpacks and people scattered all around, enjoying the mild summer day. Rachel and Quinn had done the same, armed with a blanket, a picnic lunch, and a Scrabble board. They’d been munching on cold vegetables and dip and sipping sun-brewed iced tea for an hour, passing a pocket sized Scrabble dictionary and note pad between them as the game went on.

It was how they spent time together. They weren’t really sure what they were to each other; they hadn’t defined it and didn’t really want to complicate it. It went unspoken, but they spent time together as much as they could. Doing…regular things. They tested out a new recipe the week before. They played board games and card games indoors when the weather (two weeks of rain) kept them from going out. They occasionally let a kiss on the cheek linger into a chaste kiss on the lips. One night, after a long day and plenty of alcohol, they kissed purely for the sake of kissing – on the mouth, lips gently parted, hands resting comfortably on faces and laps, and it was something they had both drunkenly confessed they thought they should be doing more of.

But they didn’t. They spent time together. And remained “friends”. Which was okay for both of them. Whenever it wasn’t okay for both of them, anyway.

“When did you come out to your parents?” Oh, and they had added extra rules to the game: whenever one of them passed a 25 point mark on the score sheet, they got to ask a question, and there had to be an answer.

Rachel pursed her lips slightly. “I don’t know that I ever really did. I mean, I never thought I was gay, really. I told them a few years ago that I had casually dated a couple girls, but nothing serious. I guess it was just left up in the air that I was open-minded and curious.” She shrugged. “They were supportive anyway. I mean, they’re my dads, they don’t really have any problems with me wanting to be whoever I want to be.” Rachel placed two more tiles on the board with her first one – a four-letter word with poor point value – and held her hand out to take the score sheet.

It was hardly enough to bring her level with Quinn’s current score, but it was enough to make another 25 points in her tally. “What did your parents say when you told them you were moving to the city?”

“You know, I don’t think my dad knows I’m here,” Quinn said after a moment of thought. But she shrugged it off. “Not that his opinion matters anyway.” She looked through her tiles carefully as she talked, planning her next big move. “My mom and I had talked about a year before I graduated. I came out, explained that it had nothing to do with her and that there was nothing wrong with me, I just didn’t like boys. She took it about as well as the pregnancy. She accepted it after she had some time.” Rachel gave a nod of understanding. “So when I told her I was moving here, she told me she could wire me money if I ever needed help and said she hoped that I was really happy here.” She began placing tiles on the board and noticed the way Rachel grimaced at the fact that she was already going to add too many more points to her total. “I think she was happy for me that I got to leave Ohio and actually just do whatever the hell I wanted to with my life, ya know.”

Rachel knew. Even in the largest towns in the state, Ohio would always be oppressive and confining. Too small for anyone dreaming big, dreaming to break the mold. And she was glad that of all the places Quinn could have fled to to start her life as her own person, she chose the city where the only person she knew was someone she only knew well enough to start fresh.

She smiled as Quinn handed the score sheet back to her once more, circling the number that indicated she earned another question. Rachel took it from her hand, letting their fingers brush for a moment. Yeah, Rachel was really glad Quinn chose New York City. And chose Rachel as well.


	5. Ordinary Lives of Ordinary People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ordinary lives of ordinary people.

“I think we should go on a date. Like, a real first date that’s actually a date.”

Quinn shivered as she remembered how the conversation had made her heart beat a little faster and made her stomach do back flips. She looked in the mirror one last time and turned the light off. She had been hoping since the first night they spoke that they might actually have this; she didn’t fool herself so much as to believe it would ever really happen like this.

The intercom buzzed and she ran to the door to answer it. Confirming it was Rachel, she buzzed her up. There was a knock at the door a minute later and Quinn had her purse in hand as she waited anxiously.

She opened the door, let herself take in the woman before her, the woman in the sexiest little black dress and heels; so simple, yet still so much. Leaning forward, she spoke softly. “Would it be too presumptuous to kiss you right now? Just on the cheek?”

Rachel blushed. “I generally say ‘no’ on a first date, but I’m willing to make an exception just this once.”

Quinn closed the rest of the distance and gently kissed Rachel on the cheek, lingering, tingling, simply perfect. “You look amazing,” she smiled. She flipped the switch on the wall to kill the remaining light and pulled the door closed behind her, turning a key quickly in the lock.

“You look pretty great yourself,” Rachel smiled as she deliberately eyed Quinn slowly from head to toe. The red party dress was so flirty, with just that hint of seductive that had Rachel’s mind racing. She’d been attracted to other women before, but never like this. Never so much that she wondered what said woman might actually look like without….

“So do I get to know anything about this restaurant before we actually get there?” Quinn broke her from her thoughts. Probably for the best.

Rachel smirked playfully. “I think the elements of surprise and wonder are part of what give the first date so much appeal.”

“Touché,” Quinn gave her.

They talked as they walked down the street, talked about everything and nothing, just like they always did. And it eased their nerves just a bit. Until they found themselves standing in front of a small restaurant with dim light glowing from the windows. “I thought a little New York-style Italian would be acceptable,” Rachel said lightly, and a small hint of worry hung onto her voice. That first-date worry.

“Sounds great to me,” Quinn reassured her. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this city’s locally owned wonders.”

“This place is to die for.” Rachel looked up and saw the concierge waiting at his post, near the podium with the reservation book near the door. He looked in no hurry, but Rachel suddenly felt nervous again about what it would mean to go in there. She leaned over and lowered her voice slightly. “Would it be too presumptuous to want to hold your hand?” she echoed the tone of Quinn’s earlier request.

“I think that’s acceptable first-date behavior,” Quinn said softly, smiling. She made the move to reach for Rachel’s hand between them, loosely lacing their fingers. She gave a gentle and reaffirming squeeze as they stepped into the door.

The aroma of the restaurant reminded her why she loved the place so much and wanted Quinn to enjoy it with her. “Rachel Berry,” she gave her name to the kind man, who glanced down the reservation list.

“For two?” he raised an eyebrow, smiling softly. When Rachel nodded, he did the same and stepped forward. “Right this way, ladies.”


	6. Once upon a whispered 'I love you'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a whispered 'I love you'

Rachel opened the door to…bags. Somewhere behind those brown sacks, she was pretty sure her girlfriend existed. She reached out to take some of Quinn’s burden as she stepped aside to let her in.

“I know we’re both healthy eaters, but how much did you think we were both going to eat?” Rachel laughed.

The bags were placed in the kitchen, the one containing cold beer to the fridge. Quinn stopped to kiss Rachel before turning back to the food she’d brought. “Well, enough beer to get us through a football game (Sam Evans had postponed college to save money for a couple years; he was now playing football for USC and getting an art degree on the side. They liked watching him play when they had the time). And enough food. From two take out places, so that we would have choices.”

When all was said and done, Rachel was glad Quinn liked to over think the little things, because they had nibbled on pretty much everything she’d brought while they watched the game.

Finally popping the cap off her beer, Rachel settled back into the couch, stomach full, Quinn so close they were touching, and the lights in the living room turned off to give them full advantage of the hi-def mounted on the wall. The game was going into the third quarter and USC was ahead, thanks to a blonde wide receiver who could run like lightning.

Offering her beer out to Quinn, Rachel scooted down and propped her feet up on the coffee table. Quinn took a drink and handed it back before doing the same, purposefully pressing her body a little closer in the process. She looked up just in time to see their friend making a run for the goal. “Go, Sammy, go!” she shouted at the TV. When Sam made the touchdown, Quinn shot a fist into the air then flopped herself all the way back into the couch. “Ya know, if I was straight, I might have tried to fight for him a little harder.”

“Well, your current girlfriend appreciates that you didn’t,” Rachel laughed. “Though Sam is quite a catch,” she agreed.

The corner of Quinn’s mouth tugged up. “You’re quite a catch.” She kissed Rachel’s cheek before leaning over and dropping her head on Rachel’s shoulder, snuggling in.

Rachel rested her beer between her legs so she could adjust Quinn a little, wrapping one arm around her over her shoulders, the other reaching out to hold a soft hand that was resting on her thigh. She loved that Quinn loved the simple things as much as she did, cuddling on the couch while they watched TV being high up on that list. They fit, and it always made her heart skip a beat. Reaching up with the arm around Quinn’s shoulder, she stroked blonde hair through her fingers, toying with the ends gently before repeating the motion. She felt Quinn settle into that, adjusting herself so that Rachel had easy access.

“I love this,” Rachel sighed contentedly. “I love you.”

The words slipped out before she even had time to think about it. But then, she thought that it was better that way anyway; she knew she really meant it.

The fingers that tightened around her own were warm and soft. “I love you, too, Rach.”

It had really been a long time coming for both of them.


	7. Dancing In The Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing in the moonlight.

Quinn let her feet scuff against the sidewalk a little as they strolled slowly along a crowded and busy street. Her fingers tangled with Rachel’s and their joined hands were swinging slightly between them.

“That was by far one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time,” Rachel raved.

“Ditto. That one is going on the list,” Quinn proclaimed.

Rachel smiled over at her girlfriend. “The list of movies to own and watch over and over until it wears out?”

“Yup,” Quinn smirked. She swung their arms a little higher, taking a playful, skipping step forward. “So, plans?”

“I think ice cream,” Rachel said after a moment’s thought. She nodded to the little shop on the next block.

Heading in the direction of the desired sweet shop, the couple passed through the Square, where people were lounging in chairs, watching street performers, listening to music playing from all sides, talking in large groups, enjoying being in the center of something so crazy and standing so still. Rachel smiled. Pulling Quinn a little closer to the center of the mass, they heard a fun beat coming from a street performance. Rachel bounced on her toes as she turned to stop and face her girlfriend. “Dance with me?” her eyes were hopeful.

Quinn blushed a little and nodded. “Absolutely.” She took Rachel’s other hand in hers, letting the little purse slide over her wrist and up her arm.

And they danced. Playfully, laughing the whole time, stealing small kisses as they came together, and waving their arms out wide as they broke away. The people in the mass around them gave them a little room, stepping back and watching the young couple enjoy a moment all to themselves in the midst of New York City madness.


	8. If we were in middle school, you'd be some kind of hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If we were in middle school, you'd be some kind of hero

Rachel came from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and two drink glasses balanced precariously in the other. Quinn took one of the glasses and sat up to make room for Rachel on the couch.

“You know, it’s really not the same when you’re not watching someone you know,” Rachel pointed out. They had a football game on, professional, and had debated over putting a movie in. Hence the popcorn and soda.

“Yeah,” Quinn agreed. “I talked to Sam last week. Told him we’d been watching his games.” Rachel sat down next to her as Quinn grinned. “He then proceeded to ask me who “we” was.”

Rachel smirked as a few pieces of popcorn made it to her mouth. “Yeah? What’d he say when you told him?”

“He was just relieved. He said that made a lot more sense as to why I wouldn’t put out when we were together.” She laughed. “And he said he was happy that we were happy together.”

“Sam was always a good guy,” Rachel nodded.

\--

Halfway through the movie, the popcorn bowl was mostly empty and pushed aside on the coffee table. Rachel had her head in Quinn’s lap, Quinn absently stroking her fingers through soft brunette hair. They had made quite a habit of this: nights spent in one of their living rooms, having dinner, or a post-date dessert, working their way through Rachel’s Netflix queue. Time together. It was always nice, always simple and sweet.

“Hey Rach, I need to stretch my legs out,” Quinn leaned down over her slightly. “They’re going to sleep on me.”

Rachel groaned a little and sat up. “Oh, alright. I suppose I’ll let you keep those.” She twisted around a little where she was sitting halfway up and turned to face Quinn. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to her girlfriend’s. Taking the kiss deeper quickly, she pulled her hand from where it rested on the couch and reached up to caress the side of her face. Before she made it there, her hand blindly rubbed against Quinn’s breast and they both stopped, pulling away just slightly. Both blushing.

“That was…an accident, for the record,” Rachel said.

Quinn smiled bashfully as she leaned forward, her lips brushing against Rachel’s ear. “And off the record?”

Rachel coughed out a nervous laugh. “Well, off the record, we’re twenty-three, we’ve been in a relationship for a couple months, and…I think I wouldn’t mind analyzing the situation further to before I make any other judgments.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow as she adjusted to stretch her legs (she was less focused on them, but they were still tingly from lack of circulation). “I think that’s fair.”

Rachel moved on the cushion a little so that she was sitting up next to Quinn, facing backward on the couch so that they were more or less eye-to-eye. Until Rachel’s eyes strayed. Downward. Now unashamedly taking in her girlfriend’s figure, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “Well, things certainly appear nice.”

Quinn shook her head as her own grin started to grow. “You better believe it.” She leaned forward. “But how do you think they shape up under more tactile scrutiny?”

Rachel’s movements were grander this time. She swung one leg up and over so that her knees pressed into the couch on either side of Quinn’s hips. She settled back, making herself comfortable on her girlfriend’s lap. Her hands fell to the soft waist beneath her and slowly skimmed upward. Quinn’s breath caught once at the sensation of gentle fingers tickling up her ribs. When Rachel reached the sides of Quinn’s breasts, she slowed, and leaned forward to kiss the blonde once, twice, before pulling back and resuming her light, teasing touches. Thumbs tracing below the swell in the front of her blouse, both women shivered slightly.

“Rachel,” Quinn whispered deeply, almost musically. “Touch me.”

\--

Rachel nuzzled her head into Quinn’s chest (which was now sans blouse and bra, only a flimsy camisole replaced after being topless for half an hour) as her girlfriend rubbed her fingers up and down Rachel’s very bare back (Rachel hadn’t yet put her top back on because the touching led to more touching, and she was quite enjoying the feel of Quinn’s skin against hers).

“You know,” Quinn whispered, “I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but…you could spend the night if you want. We always drag ourselves home so late when we’re together, and…I don’t see why we have to.”

Rachel turned her head, resting her chin gently against Quinn’s chest. “I think that would be nice,” she said softly. Then bit her bottom lip a little before raising one eyebrow. “But I don’t have any pajamas with me.”

Quinn returned the flirting gaze. “We’ll figure something out.”

\--

Hours later, as the sun was peeking through the window in Quinn’s bedroom and both women were just starting to stir in the daylight, fingertips trailed so gently, affectionately, over every inch of skin that wasn’t covered by underwear. Whose fingers were touching what areas of skin as they sleepily just felt everything, neither knew. But both knew it was perfect.


	9. Even in your torn-up, grungy day-off sweats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even in your torn-up, grungy day-off sweats

Rachel quirked an eyebrow. “What did those sweat pants ever do to deserve that?”

Quinn changed out of her skirt and blouse from work and returned to the room in a pair of sweat pants that had seen better days. They had old paint splatters all over, there was a hole in the left thigh about the size of a dollar coin, and they were unevenly cut off just below the knees. They looked ridiculous, but they also looked comfortable. Looking down at her pants, Quinn raised an eyebrow. “They’re loved.”

She had paired the ugly grey pants with a very form-fitted, lace-trimmed camisole. It was an odd match, but it looked right. Especially for their evening plans.

“Ready?” Rachel asked with a mischievous grin.

“You’re going down, Berry,” Quinn answered.

Rachel swiped the Twister spinner from the couch and poised herself at one end of the mat spread across the floor. She spun the dial and called out “left foot red”.

Both moved to the appropriate dot and the spinner was passed over the board to Quinn. Several moves into the game, Quinn claimed her ugly sweats to be her good luck charm as she stretched one arm over Rachel’s leg.

Turned out to be true.


	10. When I say I need you now, I don't mean the song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When I say I need you now, I don't mean the song

Her dressing room was deep in the basement. Rachel had described the location to Quinn once: below the stage is a tunnel to pass from one end of the stage to the other; in the tunnel were some refreshment tables and chairs for actors to rest; off the tunnel, there were a few smaller passages and doors; if starting at stage right, the first tunnel on the left led to a small pod of doors, the one on the far right belonging to the brunette costar of the show.

Rachel had also mentioned that the room was so far hidden and buried deep that it was virtually sound-proof. She and the other singers of the group were intentionally given the private rooms there because they were all but sound-proof.

Quinn knew that the show ended at ten and that by eleven, she would nearly be ready to leave. She had to hurry if she was going to catch her.

“Quinn,” Rachel’s shock colored her voice when the door flew open. She tugged her shirt the rest of the way down. “What are you doing here?”

Quinn closed the door and turned the lock on the handle. “You.”

Rachel’s breath hitched visibly as Quinn hurried toward her and kissed her hard.

Quinn had once confessed that she had a desire to have Rachel somewhere semi-public; Rachel had confessed to wanting to properly break in a dressing room while it was hers.

They were both about to get their wish.


	11. I'll be here when the storm dies down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll be here when the storm dies down

“I don’t know how hard it is for people to leave things alone that don’t belong to them,” Rachel continued pacing the floor of her apartment, much like she had been since Quinn let herself in twenty minutes ago. 

From what Quinn could gather (since Rachel wasn’t really speaking to her or at her, but just to the room at large), someone got into the refrigerator at a rehearsal and took Rachel’s organic soda, the one that had her name on it, the one she had been looking forward to after six hours in dance and choreography. 

“The only one I’d had since this whole damn show started,” Rachel continued.

Quinn kept her attention focused on Rachel. She knew Rachel knew she was there, though they hadn’t exchanged pleasantries or even a kiss hello yet. And she knew that Rachel didn’t particularly want her undivided attention, that she was mostly just thinking out loud. Moving to the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of water and cracked the seal, placing it on the counter near Rachel – she would need it soon.

“That’s why I only bought one in the first place. I don’t drink soda, but I wanted one, and I earned one. One organic soda that cost two dollars at the specialty place two blocks west of here. How hard is it for someone to go get their own damn soda and leave mine alone?” She grabbed the bottle of water from the counter and took a long, deep drink, then set it back down and huffed out a long sigh.

Glancing around the apartment, her face carrying a look that said she was considering diving in for another round, she landed on Quinn, sitting quiet and attentively on the couch.

“I’m sorry, babe. This is…this is totally juvenile and not even your problem,” Rachel dropped her hands at her sides in defeat. She walked the short distance to where her girlfriend was sitting on the couch and leaned down to kiss her. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Quinn smiled up at her. She wrapped an arm around the brunette’s waist and pulled her down on her lap. “Sorry you work with people who suck,” she said consolingly as she rested her chin on Rachel’s shoulder. “Perhaps I can make a suggestion?”

“Shut up?” Rachel offered.

“No,” she grinned. “We could take a walk, head two blocks west, find ourselves in front of a store that sells organic soda?”

Rachel nodded. “And may I make a suggestion?”

“Of course.”

“When we get back, we put the soda in the fridge and I thank you properly for being the best girlfriend ever?”

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Quinn grinned and kissed her on the cheek.


	12. I love you, now marry me, damn it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love you, now marry me, damn it

Quinn had been talking a mile a minute – something she’d picked up from her girlfriend, no doubt – about a couple of students in her afternoon physical education class. A pair of second graders, an ornery little boy with dimples and a blonde girl with purple ribbons in her pigtails. She was going on and on about how cute they were with their little crush and seven-year-old “cooties” ideas.

Rachel loved the way Quinn couldn’t stop smiling; she really loved her job, and really loved her students. In high school, the Quinn Fabray she knew would have probably wanted a career in fashion or would have settled for being someone’s trophy wife. But neither of them new they were very different women on the inside than they were showing to the rest of the world. With the freedom of graduation and a fresh start, they’d both figured out a little more about themselves. The real Quinn Fabray, the one who grew up and went after what she wanted in life, was an elementary school physical education and health teacher. She’d said that her childhood was tainted by her weight and self-image, something she’d blamed partially on the fact that she wasn’t permitted to run and play in the dirt and participate in sports because it wasn’t lady-like enough for her father. She’d said if she at least had some exercise at school and an idea about nutrition, she might have done better for herself. So she set out to help kids. She’d been hired to coordinate and run the physical education and health program for grades one through five. 

Quinn frequently had stories about her students at the end of the day. And Rachel was always happy to hear them, to see how happy her girlfriend was. To feel how happy that made her.

“Quinn,” Rachel felt her face heat up as she rested her fork on her plate.

Quinn stopped mid-sentence. “Yeah, baby?”

After a pause, Rachel shook her head and picked her fork back up. “Nothing. Never mind. You were saying?”

Smiling, the blonde started back in on her stories from the day, leaving Rachel feeling a comfortable warmth fluttering in her stomach and rushing up through her chest. 

Setting her fork back down again a couple minutes later, Rachel leaned forward a bit. “Quinn,” her gentle tone the same as before. When Quinn looked up and saw the look in Rachel’s eyes, she rested her own silverware. “Marry me,” Rachel blurted softly.

“What?” Quinn couldn’t have heard right, she was sure.

“I love you,” Rachel straightened a little and held out her hand across their small table. “Now marry me, damn it.” A grin broke across her face as she waited for Quinn to respond.

Quinn’s cheeks flushed pink and she rested her hand in Rachel’s. “Well,” she considered, “how can a girl say no to an offer like that?”


	13. 'I do' is only for the brave at heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'I do' is only for the brave at heart

Quinn was honestly still a little surprised when her mother said she’d be there in a heartbeat for their wedding (and really was; she was there to help finish planning for ten days leading up to the big day). She wasn’t surprised that her father didn’t show; she hadn’t even saved him a seat, that way when she looked to all of her family and friends, she wouldn’t be disappointed by a gap in the front row.

The whole guest list was pretty small, keeping things close and intimate: immediate family, a couple favorite cousins and uncles, a few of their friends from work. Barely twenty-five people. And it was perfect.

“Someone told me it’s bad luck to see the bride before she walked down the aisle at the wedding,” Rachel said with a grin as she stepped up behind Quinn. They were both in simple white dresses with light colored accents. 

They decided to get married in a quieter corner of Central Park, so they weren’t hidden by walls, and hadn’t really intended to be anyway. “Is the tradition still the same at a lesbian wedding?” Quinn smirked as she turned around, reaching out to hold Rachel’s hands.

“Guess we’ll never know now.”

They smiled foolishly and just looked at each other for several long moments. “You ready to do this?” Quinn asked with a gentle tilt of her head.

“More than you could know,” Rachel smiled her reply.

They were interrupted a moment later by Rachel’s daddy. “Ladies, if you don’t mind breaking up this love fest for a minute, there’s somewhere we all need to be.”

The women smiled at each other one last time before letting their hands drift apart. Moving toward the back of the center aisle, they waited for their music to cue them. Quinn, escorted by Judy, went first, followed just a few steps behind by Rachel with both of her dads. The parents kissed their respective daughters with a smile before leaving them in front of everyone to join hands again. Where they excitedly took their vows to be each other’s forever on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thank all of you who read and left kudos. It's greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of this little adventure.


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